Kanegasaki Castle

Kanegasaki Castle (金ヶ崎城) was a castle located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.^[1] During the Sengoku period, it stood as a fort situated in northwestern Sotomo Gate in the Wakasa province.^[2] Its ruins have been protected as a National Historical Site as of 1934.^[1]

History[edit | edit source]

In 1570, Oda Nobunaga launched a siege against the Asakura clan after Asakura Yoshikage rejected an invitation from Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, thus labelling the Asakura clan as rebels. Due to a multi-generational alliance, Azai Nagamasa aided Yoshikage againt Nobunaga's assault, an act seen as a personal betrayal to Nobunaga. As a result, Nobunaga continued a months-long battle against the Azai-Asakura forces, which culminated in Nobunaga's victory at the Battle of Anegawa.^[3]

In 1582, the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke tracked down Endo Riku, one of the corrupt daikan working for the Shinbakufu. There, they discovered Riku taunting his servants while he ate like a glutton. Confronting Riku, they assassinated him and recovered a kanabō Barnacle Mallet from his personal effects.^[4] While there, the pair eliminated four of its samurai daisho, looted the Master Archer Headband from its treasure chest, and climbed atop its highest tower to oversee the land.^[2]